Advent Model Horse Photo Challenge: Day 30

 

Day 30 - Northlight

Baskoro - Palomino Sandalwood Pony Stallion - OF Lefton Napcoware Porcelain - Personal Herd Member

I don't have any Northlights, which are a type of resin if I recall correctly. So, let's exchange that out with another Clinky!

Meet Baskoro!

(Which means Golden Sun in Indonesian).

He was gifted to me a few years ago by a friend from my sewing group. He had a chipped ear and was missing his right hind leg from below the hock down. I only just recently repaired him. Can't wait to show a picture of him to my friend!

Stay tuned for the final installment for this photo challenge series!

(hard to believe that it's almost 2023 already?!)

Advent Model Horse Photo Challenge: Day 29

 

Day 29 - Buckskin

Jasmine - Buckskin Mustang Filly - OF Breyer - Personal Herd Member

I literally only have two solid colored Buckskins - and that's not including Lakota, who also has Non-Dun Type 1 (nd1)! I had already posted Croi Damhse, so it seemed ideal to have Jasmine for this installment.

Jasmine is from a 5 foal gift set from 2000-01, which I had received for Christmas from my aunt (who grew up collecting Breyers!) in 2002. I recently touched up her visible wear spots, so that I could photo show her.

Why just Mustang? Still haven't figured out exactly which herd her father belongs to.

Stay tuned for the next installment!

Advent Model Horse Photo Challenge: Day 28

 

Day 28 - Mare & Foal:

Ellenora - 3/4 QH x 1/4 Arabian Mare - OF Breyer - Personal Herd Member

Ellie - 1/2 TB, 1/3 QH, x 1/8 Arabian Filly - CM Breyer by Me! - Personal Herd Member

Ellie is finally finished!!!!

Ellenora and her mate, CuChulainn, have been waiting for a foal for a very long time!

I am so happy to have a newly completed family in my collection of families!!!

Stay Tuned for the next installment!

Advent Model Horse Photo Challenge: Days 26-27

Day 26 - Pinto:

Oakheart - Bay Frame/Sabino Paint Stallion - Breyer Repaint CM by Me - Sales Piece

Literally just finished - on the 26th, actually. He was going to be my 2021 Breyerfest Best Customs Contest entry for the Finishwork section, but didn't get him done in time...let alone finding out that it is one entry per ticket (I only had one).

Biggest accomplishment with him is finally figuring out how to paint the lacey edges!!

Day 27 - Vintage:

Altivo - Grey Andalusian Stallion - 1980's Marx/Johnny West Thunderbolt CM by Unknown Artist - Personal Herd Member

Altivo was gifted me by a friend (with an original Goffert, who I renamed Jannik). 

He is the very first resculpt by someone else I have ever handled. So, every time I pick him up, I am blown away at the smooth transition in the resculpted areas (the lifted foreleg). Unfortunately, he doesn't have a proper signature - only something that looks like it could be, but is rather un-readable. It took some time figuring out what was his original mold, though the shape of his mouth was a key indicator, the lifted foreleg threw me in for a loop.

He is also named after the horse on Dreamwork's The Road to El Dorado. So, now, whenever I go to write/type his name, I've got all the scenes where his name is spoken by one of the key characters running through my head (the most frequent one is when Miguel is trying to bribe Altivo with an apple to get a crowbar).

Stay tuned for the next installment!

Advent Model Horse Photo Challenge: Day 25

 

Day 25 - Holiday Scene:

Speck's Peanut - Chestnut-base Grey Blanket 3/4 Appaloosa x 1/4 Arabian Stallion - CM Breyer Zippo Pine Bar by Me! - Personal Herd Member

Hope your Christmas isn't as crazy as Speck's Peanut whipping the newly found Elf on the Shelf in the arena!

Advent Model Horse Photo Challenge: Days 22-24

 

Day 22 - Model & Friend:

Partly Cloudy & Emerald Isle - Grey Pintabian Mare & Red Irish Setter Female - OF Breyers - Personal Herd

Emerald Isle swimming alongside Partly Cloudy at the beach.

Day 23 - Draft Breed:

Samayo - W17 Ban-ei (Percheron Type) Mare - OF China (Chinese/Hong Kong Made - from the 1960's) - Personal Herd

Samayo is actually Bakti's old name. Come to find out, it's actually a girls' name, while Bakti is a stallion. However, due to still liking the name so much, I decided to give this girl that name and it suits her well. Samayo means "Wander" in Japanese, by the way.

She is also a Ban-ei, which is also known as the Japanese Draft Horse. Which is the founding breed for the White 17 Mutation - resulting in an all-white horse! Very fitting for this pretty girl! I'll have to write more on this breed/type later.

Day 24 - Spots:

Speck's Peanut - Chestnut-base Grey Blanket 3/4 Appaloosa x 1/4 Arabian Stallion - CM Breyer Zippo Pine Bar by Me! - Personal Herd Member (former sales piece)

A close up picture of Speck's Peanut's greyed-out Leopard spots!

Stay tuned for the next installment!

Advent Model Horse Photo Challenge: Days 16-21

 

Day 16 - Custom

Hot Fudge - Chocolate & Vanilla Swirl Sweet Valley Unicorn Mare - Breyer CM by Morgan Tolliver - Personal Herd Member

My very first custom by someone else other than ME!!!

It was super hard to choose because there were so many good ones, but she stood out to me because she looks like melted fudge drizzling over vanilla ice cream!

Additionally, she was the only one listed on Simply Sweet Creations Etsy page that had these colors.

Day 17 - Classic Scale

Mustang Herd on the Beach - 3 OF Breyers/1 CM Breyer - Personal Herd members

Day 18 - Bay

Ballynoe Castle RM - Bay Irish Draught Sporthorse x Belgian WB Gelding - OF Breyer Breyerfest Celebration Horse Ballynoe Castle RM - Personal Herd.

When I first saw Ballynoe's promo pictures, I wasn't too interested in him. I am very picky with my Bays, so they have to really strike my fancy in order for me to consider purchasing. However, when Breyer released an in-box picture of him, he was much redder than his promo pic - and much cuter! A keeper indeed!

Day 19 - CollectA

Spooky Pete - Red Dun Splash White Paint Colt - OF Breyer CollectA - Personal Herd Member

He reminds me of Spooks Gotta Gun's line.

He was a MEPSA Champ Show Prize for the 2020-21 show season.

Day 20 - Vintage

Maybelline - Black Lippitt Morgan Mare - OF Breyer Morgan Mare - Personal Herd Member

Pronounced May-bell-ine - not may-bell-een like the makeup brand. Literally had no clue until my mom mentioned it.

For being black and vintage, she surprisingly photographs extremely well!

Day 21 - Hartland

Rosie Sunshine - Palomino Quarab Filly - OF Hartland - Personal Herd

Found at a local antique store.

Very first and only Hartland Model.

Photo Shows surprisingly well.

Stay tuned for the next installments!

Advent Model Horse Photo Challenge: Days 13-15

 

Day 13 - Performance:

Ponderosa - Liver Chestnut Dun Frame Overo Paint Mare - OF Breyer 2012-15 Overo Mare & Foal Set - Personal herd member

One of my better performance pictures that have at least a chance in the competitive world. The hardest part are using Breyer dolls vs. dolls made specifically for performance showing. Regardless, I still like using all of my Breyer dolls for scenes and good practice.

Day 14 - Stablemate:

Blaze - Flaxen Chestnut Leopard Appaloosa Stallion - OF Breyer 2000-02 Appaloosa Mare and Foal set - Personal herd member

Blaze is the main leader of my Stablemate herd along with his half-brother, Thunder (sorry, don't have a pic of him on my desktop)!

I got him and all the other horse and foal sets from that Regular Run line in 2002 after seeing Spirit: Stallion of the Cimarron in the theaters!

Day 15 - Pony:

Merida - Bay Dun w/ Frost British Standard Shetland Pony Mare - CM Breyer by me! - Personal herd member

Unruly ponies - always doing things that are NOT what you want them to do!

This is a pose that dogs sometimes do in Agility; just standing there at the beginning or at the end of an obstacle. So, naturally, I figured that horses must do the same, too. However, she was docked points for her naughty behavior in a show (other than using a more cartoony doll). The more desirable behavior in a model is for the horse to obediently be guided through the course - not causing a ruckus! That's when you enter these kinds of scenes in either the scene classes or the bad performance classes!

Stay tuned for the next installment!

Advent Model Horse Photo Challenge: Day 12

 Day 12 - Artist Resin

Or more like 3D Printed Resin.

I got this guy from Hold Your Horses's Black Friday sale. I had been wanting to get one of their cats for a long time, so when I saw that they were going to have one (actually 4!) for their sale, I had to take the plunge!

I plan on painting him like my aunt's old orange tabby cat, Pumpkin, who had a similar build. The real Pumpkin was an full-on outdoor cat who had many battle scars. This cat model here will be the total opposite - an agility running kitty!

Another cool thing about this mold, is that he stands in two poses: running and getting ready to jump up. Perfect for dynamic scenes!

Stay tuned for tomorrow's next installment!

Advent Model Horse Photo Challenge: Days 9-11

 

Day 9 - Pinto:

Paint Me A Pepto - Black Tobiano Paint Mare - Breyer 2017-19 - Personal Herd Member (Going to customize twins for her and her mate, Aurelius, from two TR Running Foals)

I remember the year this mold was created for the Premier Club. There were several new mares that came out the same year as well (Andalusian Mare and Forever Saige). Aaand...because I collect in families - I could not wait until they came out in Regular Runs (about 4 years: 1st: Premier Club, 2nd Collector Club, 3rd Breyerfest, 4th Regular Run).

Little did I realize how difficult Paint Me was going to be to photograph due to a combination of her positioning and coloring.

She is one of my lesser shown horses in photo showing due to this very problem. It took about 4 or 5 times to eventually get to the one picture above. She might have another, but to be honest, I think this is the best one of her yet!

Day 10 - Live Show:

Gemma and I at Little Tatanka Live hosted at Wasatch Cowboy Church, Hooper, UT, last year in November.

This was a non-NAN Qualifying show to teach new showers about live showing. Gemma and I were the only two showers who have done at least 1 show prior (Sugarfoot Live 2019). It was very laid back and totally informative. I think we learned a lot.

I almost didn't sign up. Our family schedule is heavily revolved around the 4H Dog Program, so, with me being a non-driver, it can get pretty difficult to slide anything that requires my family driving me somewhere for my own ribbon-earning type events. So, therefore, I came in super late for registering and we all were glad that I did, because Gemma would've been the only shower!

It gets even better!!

When we were looking at where it was going to be located, we're like, "What is a cowboy church?"

Surprisingly, Victoria came, too, because this kind of showing is way too low key for her. But when we walked in, my mom, Victoria, and I all agreed that we needed a church like this in Cache Valley! So, while I was doing the show, my mom and Victoria found the pastor and started the conversation on what they are and how to get a new church plant up where we live. Of course, anyone who knows me, knows that I can get heavily distracted by interesting conversations. So, naturally, listening in about cowboy church proved to be a lesson in trying to keep my classes in order - accidentally had Other Sport Horses go into the English Sport Horse class! They placed. The judge didn't even notice until she announced the next class! Lessons for both of us!

Back to Cowboy Church. Cowboy Church is a Bible based church with a cowboy twist. We sing a mixture gospel, hymns, and contemporary music. Cowboy hats and boots are totally welcome! And we always share a meal for our fellowship after the service. History? Well, this type of approach comes from the traveling pastors/ministers in the ranch and farming communities throughout Texas (kind of like the school teachers who would travel from town to town throughout the year). 

Day 11 - China:

Bakti - Black Tobiano Java Pony Stallion - 1960's Japan China - Personal Herd Member

Bakti was given to me with a bunch of other horse figurines (including a Glossy Charcoal FAM Breyer which I sold with the others [not Bakti, obviously!] to an antique store in town) by my grandparents on my dad's side. They weren't theirs, but actually their neighbor's daughter's who was needing to pawn them off to a new owner. However, at the time, I was in a different stage in my collecting, so I didn't see the need to keep all of them (yes, including that FAM, but I knew she would eventually be found by someone who would love her).

Though, Bakti fascinated me, which is why I kept him.

He is my first official clinky - which is kinda cool!

The other two parts is one: how I seem to have a knack for finding unique items from other countries that are not apart of the generic where-it's-made items; and two: his vintage coloring/pattern.

I've shown him a little bit with MEPSA when I started out showing with them, but he REALLY needs his halter photo re-taken (this was a quicky photo since I am currently waiting on a few customs to be finished to do a bigger photoshoot - likewise inside).

Advent Model Horse Photo Challenge: Days 7-8

 

Yesterday was kind of busy, so, I'll be merging yesterday's and todays installment.

Day 7: Arabian

Annie - Fleabitten Grey Arabian Mare - OF Grand Champion Micro Mini

I am surprised that her name is not Tasha, after one of the very first horses I rode. But then again, she does look more like an Annie than a Tasha. Maybe, I'll do a custom of her later. 

Anyways, Tasha, the real horse, was a free spirited Fleabitten Grey Arabian mare who had cowlicks all over the place (also known as "Smart Spots" - in which she was VERY smart)! So, free spirited that we'd be in the round pen and she would go from a trot straight into a canter without being asked to do so. Not something you want, though. But, I stilled loved riding her!

Day 8: Micro Mini

There's too many here to go through who's who! But as you can tell, there are both original finish models and customs. No artist resins yet, but someday!

That wagon is made of real metal and I think was my dad's. It is a little too small for my Classic scale dolls, so I'll have to find some smaller, child size dolls for that scale to have a successful setup with the wagon in hand pulling along their favorite model horses for a ride!

Stay tuned for the next installment!

Advent Model Horse Photo Challenge: Day 6

 

Day 6 - Breyer

Croi Damhse - Buckskin Connemara Pony Mare - Breyer SM 2022 TSC Blind Bag Croi Mold - Personal Herd Member (Needs a mate - wondering on the size comparison with the new SM Haflinger Mold)

When I saw a picture of this girl, she immediately reminded me of the original Premier Club Model. So, of course, I had to give her the same name. One thing I noticed on IDYB was the extra note one what her name actually means: Dancing Heart.

OK, well, I just so happen to have an English-Irish/Irish-English Dictionary from when I was trying to learn Irish from Rosetta Stone. So, I thought I'd look up each "Name" to double check the actual meanings. This is what I found:

First of all, Croi means Heart.

It is also pronounced kree like the Cree Native Americans

not kroy like the fish.

Quite a shocker to probably a vast majority of the model horse community who aren't familiar with the Irish language.

Secondly, Damhse means Dance.

And it is pronounced daw-say.

Yep, that's the Irish language for ya if you are looking at the spelling versus the pronunciation!

It actually took me awhile to learn how to spell and pronounce Damhse correctly...that it lead me to nicknaming her Darcey.

Why?

There's a trick to it!

To get the hang of saying Damhse is to practice saying Darcey like you have a European accent while dropping the "R" in Darcey. So, in turn, Darcey sounds like daw-say aka Damhse instead!

In short, her full name translated to English is:

Heart Dance

Stay tuned for the next installment!

Advent Model Horse Photo Challenge

 

So, fellow blogger and model horse artist, Feldman Studio, have been posting this photo challenge to her FB studio page this month. This kind of challenges have been in the model horse hobby for quite a long time (if anyone knows for exactly how long, please comment on this post)....and I'm pretty sure the first time I saw the first version was on Jennifer Buxton's Braymere Custom Saddlery Blog.

So,

another so,

to get back into consistently updating the blog, I decided to take up this challenge. . . on day 5.

Better late than never!

Day 1 - Palomino

All That Sass - Palomino QH Mare Breyer SM CM by Me - Sale Piece (still available! Contact me if interested!)

All That Sass' original name was I think supposed to be Anita, but when I "flipped" up the end of her tail - she revealed that she has a slightly sassy attitude! She was also my second Palomino I have painted ever, and the first Palomino sales piece I have created!

Day 2 - Peter Stone

Porter - Chestnut TWH Stallion OF Peter Stone RR Ginger Snap - Personal Herd Member (currently looking for a mate - super picky, though)

I got Porter at Sugarfoot Live for $25 because he was slightly damaged - which I was able to touch up and repair. He is my very first Stone Horse. Photographs so well that I don't really need to update his photo show halter picture as often as a whole lot of my other herd members! And because he photographs so well, he places high, too! (Which is like the top 5 placings even in larger photo shows). So super cool! Glad to have him in my herd!

Day 3 - Foal

Or more like Foals!

Strawberry - Palomino Quarab Filly OF Breyer TR Glossy Charity (Yes, you read that right!!)

Chip - Black Foal Coat Araloosa Colt OF Breyer TR Matte Spot

These two are my very first official Breyer herd members in my catalog of my overall herd (Chip is actually number 1 and Strawberry is 2). They were given to me for my 10th birthday by my aunt who also collected Breyers growing up and these two were actually apart of her herd, because my mom remembers getting [Chip] for her. They were also my very first Traditional scale Breyers. I have some Breyers from prior to that year, but I didn't know what they were at the time. I also remember being confused on scale due to already owning a couple of the Empire Grand Champion full scale toy horses which are roughly the same scale as Breyer Classics. So, it was like wondering who their parents were supposed to be when all the adult horses I had at the time were either the same size or smaller. I later found both of their parents at two different times at local antique stores, but that's a story for another time!

Day 4 - Curio Scale

Raja - Chestnut Tobiano/Sabino Gypsy Vanner Colt OF Schleich - Personal Herd Member

Raja is named after Disney's Jasmine's Tiger.

He's also I think my first Schleich....or is it Merlin...I don't know, it was too long ago!

Either way, Schleich and Safari Ltd. are roughly Curio scale and are smaller than the Breyer Little Bits/Paddock Pals models. They are also a little bigger than Breyer's Wind Dancers.

Day 5 - Roan

Ellenora - Strawberry Roan 3/4 QH x 1/4 Arabian Mare OF Breyer CL Western Riding Gift Set - Personal Herd Member (CuChulainn's mate and I'm almost done customizing her long awaited filly!!!)

I got Ellenora because she reminded me of someone's horse at church when I was in maybe Junior High or High School. I never met the horse because she actually had died from colic years prior. But our friend/the horse's owner showed me some pictures, told me about what they did together (barrel racing if I remember correctly), and distinctively told me what color she was: Strawberry Roan.

Nowadays, that term is no longer accepted as genetically correct - especially since it includes a food word. None the less, I still refer to this color as Strawberry Roan because of sentimental value while embracing newish or clarified terms.

Breed.

OK, why the halfish breed stuff.

Well, I'm not a big fan of Quarter Horses....or just bulky Stock horses in general.

So, when I got her, to me, she didn't look full QH due to her finer confirmation. Additionally, Breyer was hosting some photo contests and one had to do with Arabians in performance. Well, I didn't have any full Arabians, so I asked if entering partbreds were OK and they said it was fine. She never placed....probably because she looks more Stock than Part-Arabian, which is something I finalized later. But, yeah, that's why her breeding has Arabian in it!

Stay tuned for the next installment!

Let's just hope that it's a day-by-day and not a multiple days at a time!

Ancient Breeds: The Caspian

 

The Caspian is an ancient breed that originates from Persia, in the northern region of modern-day Iran, near the Caspian Sea. The first writings and art depicting the breed have been traced as far back to 3000 B.C. and is likely the influencer to many light type horses, including the Arabian and most Oriental breeds. They were commonly used for driving royal chariots. Unfortunately, the breed was assumed extinct after the fall of the Persian Empire in 331 B.C. with the arrival of the famed Greek Warrior, Alexander the Great. It wasn't until 1965 A.D., when the American, Louise Firouz discovered a small herd of small, light boned horses near the Caspian Sea, while she was on an expedition for small ponies for her riding school. She then set out to restore the breed through a breeding program in Europe and keep a number on the existing population. Her efforts came to a halt when Iran went to war with Iraq in 1979, in which after the war was over, she was able to establish the International Caspian Studbook in 1978. Since then, the Caspian has been exported and bred in the United Kingdom, U.S.A., Australia, and New Zealand. Today, the Caspian is commonly ridden by children in jumping disciplines and is an excellent carriage/driving horse.

The height ranges from 10-12 hh. The color ranges from Black, Chestnut, Bay, the Dun gene, and Grey.

Resources:

https://www.horsebreedspictures.com/caspian-horse.asp

https://www.caspian.org/

http://www.theequinest.com/breeds/caspian/

https://www.nationalgeographic.org/encyclopedia/persian-empire/

"International Encyclopedia Of Horse Breeds" by Bonnie Hendricks

Hence The Reason I Don't Collect In Congas

Many people collect in different ways.

Some collect only one color

(I do not actively collect black horses, by the way)

Others collect only one type or breed

(I don't actively collect Decorators, either, but if one strikes my fancy, then I'll actually consider it).

And yet, the current popular way to collect model horses is to have every single color created on one mold. These are known as Congas.

Sure, it's pretty cool seeing how each color pulls out a different characteristic in the mold.

I mean, if I actively congaed anything, it would be the Classic scale Mesteno mold.

(I have a rule that I cannot do a custom to sell on this mold, because I would want to keep every. single. one. of. them!!)

Stablemates and Mini Whinnies are super easy to conga, due to being small, inexpensive, and the variety of molds (until recently) tend to be limited.

(I have tons of the same molds in the G2 Stablemates!)

(Yes, I absolutely love the SM G6 Magnolia, too!)

But, when it comes to the big guys....

They're all in doubles.

(Except for the TR Shetland Ponies! And we all know why that is!!)

So, how do I really collect?

Tariq & Omaira

Well, in families.

Blue-Eyed Bandit & Bev

Tyfon & Dungaree

Faith & Anthony

Rainfest & Lakota

Partly Cloudy & Sato

Some Couples have been around longer than others and are still waiting on a foal.

CuChulainn & Ellenora

Another long-time couple and they're going to be getting a foal this year!

Cascade & Drizzle

So, yeah, there's the family completion with a foal issue. There's also the stallion missing problem. For some weird reason, I have a ton of TR Pony and SM Mares.

Misty & Stormy

I know who I want to have as Wings, Stormy's dad - it's the Breyerfest 2013 SR Chincoteague Pony, Buckaroo. I've come close to getting him a couple of times, but it's either the model is no longer available, I'm out of money, or I don't have anything worthy of a trade.

Brighid & McKay

Brishin

But, the biggest problem I have, is the multitudes of Stallions.

Why?

Well, it's kind of obvious.

I like hair and action.

So, I tend to gravitate towards all of the macho looking stallions with their hair flying as they're just all vin' 'n' vinegar. 

(By the way, Brishin would be an awesome match for the TR scale Epona draft resin. I can totally see her standing there, looking behind at him and their foal, with the expression of: "Seriously? You're going to do that now?" While the foal is acting like the father).

Brighty

I do have plans for a perfect family photo for Brighty....but that means I need to another brighty mold to customize.

Xavier

Santiago

Khalid

Ansel Adams

Yeah, I knew what I was getting into when I got him. "I've already got so many studs who need mares and foals! I don't need another one!"

But, it was for sentimental reasons. And I'm glad I got him!

I do get sucked in and get the already family sets, only if I really like the models in the set.

(I'll talk about Buckeye in a later post).

But, this family is entirely pieced together by myself.

And, boy! Wintersong waited a long time for his family - I got him the year he was released in 2007!

(I had actually got Shadow before Groovy Girl, who I got last year).

In all of this, I know for sure that it would be an eerie day when every single family is complete.

I also know it won't last long!!